With the New Year came a brand-new Chris Young.
"I've been cooking my own food a lot more," Young, 37, tells PEOPLE about the secrets behind his nearly 50-pound weight loss, a transformation that has been occurring since early last fall. "I wasn't taking the time to [cook for myself]. I'm also working out a little bit more."
But what hasn't changed is that velvet voice of his that has been heard throughout his country music career on a slew of No. 1 hits, such as "The Man I Want to Be" and "I'm Comin' Over."
And now with the New Year, new music is coming from Young, including "All Dogs Go to Heaven," a sentimental ode to man's best friend and the bond that Young says he envisions lasting far longer than just a lifetime.
"We don't get to keep our pets forever," Young says of the song he co-wrote alongside Corey Crowder and Cale Dodds. "But hopefully, we get them forever in the end. I think it applies to the love one has for any animal, but especially, I think about Porter. That's my dude."
Speaking of his 5-year-old German Shepherd that Young received as a Christmas present from his sister when the dog was just "the size of a baked potato," the "Famous Friends" hitmaker says that his bond with Porter was instantaneous from the start.
"Before his eyes were even open, I got to pick him up and hold him," Young remembers. "It's probably one of the best gifts I've ever gotten. I've loved having him. And I know at some point that I'm going to lose him, but you just want to hold on to him forever, you know?"
Young breaks the silence with a slight laugh.
"He's going to tear one of my ACLs at some point as big as he is and as fast as he runs through the house," the Tennessee native continues. "But outside of that, we get along just fine."
Granted, there has always somewhat been a fascination of sorts about Young and just who he is 'getting along with' in his personal life. In fact, Young says sometimes all it takes is an innocent picture posted on his Instagram feed to get fans riled up about a possible new love interest.
"I'm really private and nobody really knows what's going on in my private life outside of my family and my friends," admits Young. "Sometimes, all the people speculating makes me laugh."
Nevertheless, his romantic new single "Looking for You" talks of that undeniable feeling when you finally find the person you have always been looking for.
"I could very easily be like, 'Oh, this song is about so and so,'" Young interjects. "Some people like doing that."
But instead, the Grand Ole Opry member says he would rather keep his personal life personal, and let the music do the talking.
"This song is really just about the idea of you running into somebody you didn't expect and just being like blindsided by being in love," continues Young about the song that he wrote alongside James McNair, Emily Weisband, and longtime collaborator Chris DeStefano.
"Whether you are one of those people out there that believes you are going to stay single forever, or you are looking for the wrong person or whatever — this song is basically saying, 'I wasn't looking for anybody. I was just going to be single. And then, holy crap, I found the person that's the love of my life.'"
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